Shadow and Earth
by Vathara
Summary: Before Ryuko died, he left Shirogane a gift. In San Francisco, Kou has just found it. If he can just keep the Prince from catching on....


A/N: Monochrome Factor/ Kindred the Embraced crossover. This particular ficbit should take place around 6 years before the events of K:tE started. World of Darkness stuff has been bent, spindled, and mutilated to fit the KtE universe. Monochrome Factor likewise. AU. Definitely. World of Darkness vocabulary is at the bottom of the story.

-----

_Stay calm_, Kou told himself as the Gangrels hauled him into Prince Julian's library, clamping down on the Beast with an iron will. A little Frenzy in the middle of a pack of gang-bangers could be a plus. Here, in Luna Mansion? Good way to get staked.

_Stay calm. Kengo and Akira got out in one piece, and they don't remember tapping into their Disciplines. Meaning even if Julian's people track them down - and they shouldn't - all they'll find is two innocent little teenagers. _

He hoped. As long as the Camarilla Kindred didn't look too closely at those "teenagers'" records. Or, gods forbid, taste their blood.

_Stay calm_, Kou told himself; once more, for luck. _Tell your story right, they'll never get that close._

And here was the Prince himself, all elegant gray suit and short dark hair, looking down on Kou where the Gangrel had shoved him to his knees. "One of yours, Stevie Ray?"

"One of my clan," Stevie Ray agreed. "Though I teach my Childer to be a little more subtle. Who are you?"

_He's not that old_, Kou realized with a wave of relief, feeling the blunt power of the Gangrel's gaze as the Primogen tried to Dominate him. _Probably a century. Definitely not more than two. I can take him._

…_I'm not here to take him, damn it. I'm here to be a meek little Gangrel mouse - well, meek as they ever get - and play dead. Or the kids are toast._ "I'm Kou."

"Just Kou?" The Prince actually looked amused.

"Move enough times, last names don't mean much," Kou shrugged, strain off his arms now that the other Gangrel guards had let go. They must have a lot of faith in their Primogen. Or their Prince. "Kou works for me."

"And your Sire?" the Prince asked pointedly.

Stevie Ray frowned. "We don't always know-"

"Ryuko," Kou said firmly. They wouldn't know the name. It was safe. "He took me in when I was in trouble. Showed me how the night works, but - we didn't have enough time." Which was true, though not how he was implying. Centuries wouldn't be enough time to be Ryuko's Childe. Ryuko's friend. "We were east of here, and - Sabbat got him." Kou swallowed hard, remembering that awful battle, years ago. Too many, and not enough. "Sorry if I messed anything up. I can be out of the city by dawn…." He didn't have to fake that exhausted sway. Beating gang-bangers to a bloody pulp? Easy. Hauling Akira and Kengo out of that mess before they could get caught, when _both_ Revenant kids had been swamped with Frenzy? _Ow._

Akira especially. Which was kind of scary. Kengo, sure; the kid had fought like any Frenzied Revenant with decent hand-to-hand know-how, meaning he had enough supernatural strength to smear mortals across the pavement and seriously damage any unwary Kindred. Which Kou _wasn't_.

Akira, though… Akira had almost put him through a brick wall. _After_ the kid had already littered the street with punks, and brutally snapped the neck of the lone ghoul who'd stabbed Kengo.

_Brujah ghoul, or I'm a Nosferatu sewer rat. _

_And an_ idiot.

You _didn't_ stab random kids who'd accidentally walked in on your secret gang-Mob meetings with knives. You just didn't. It might score you points on the Bad Guy scale, but it seriously lacked in cool. And that didn't even take into consideration the fact that you didn't know who their parents were, and therefore just how much hell you were about to call down on your own head.

Though Kou was beginning to have an awful feeling he knew _exactly_ who one of Akira's parents had been. The resemblance, the uncanny strength and swiftness, the way gray eyes had _glowed_ ruby, just for an instant, as he struck down the ghoul….

_Not_ just a young Revenant. Not by a long shot.

_Ryuko, I loved you like a brother. But what the_ hell _were you thinking?_

Better if he tried not to think about it. Akira was one of the kids he had to look after. That was all. Anything else - way too dangerous.

"Kou?" The Prince; stern, but with a hint of concern in his gaze. "I asked how long you've been running."

"Been awhile," Kou admitted. "Know I kind of skirted the edge of the Masquerade. But the kids just remember getting scared, by guys with guns-" _and knives, idiots,_ "-and me hustling them out the back. I made sure of that." Which had been enough to make him almost certain about Akira. Kengo had fought the memory alteration, but Akira… it'd been like trying to catch water in a sieve. If the kid hadn't been exhausted already….

_And still young, thank the gods. Give 'em another few years for their blood to wake up, and anybody messing with their heads is gonna pull back a bloody stump. _

Who, him? Proud of the tough, vicious, not-quite-mortals his bloodline had bred countless ages ago? Damn straight.

The Prince was eyeing Stevie Ray, who nodded. "We planted some meth and cocaine on the scene," the Gangrel elaborated. "There might be some things that don't fit with a drug deal gone bad, but the cops have plenty of innocent homicide victims to worry about. The Masquerade was not breached." He eyed Kou. "This time."

_Thank the gods_. Kou breathed a little easier. Just a little.

"And the other matter, my Prince?" Stevie Ray went on.

"I believe I'll speak with our guest for a moment." Luna regarded the other Gangrels. "Alone."

The Primogen inclined his head, and left, reluctant Childer following in his wake.

Kou waited a moment. Carefully got to his feet. _No threatening moves. He may be young, but remember what you heard about Manzanita. This guy can fight._

The Prince held out a sterling silver earring, studded with lapis lazuli dark as twilight. "I believe this is yours."

…_I am so screwed. _

Damn. He'd felt a bullet clip his ear in the middle of the fight, but he'd never imagined-

No. Tamp down the Beast. _Think_. If he were _that_ screwed, he wouldn't be breathing. The Gangrels would have riddled him with phosphorus bullets and left him to burn. They hadn't, which meant all the mystic tricks Ryuko and Shirogane had taught him to obscure what he _really_ was, and how his thoughts touched objects close to him, had to be still working. Which meant the kids were safe. For now.

"I, too, have mortal descendants." The Prince regarded him soberly. "And I would go to great lengths to protect them."

"They're not mine, y'know," Kou said uncomfortably. "They're Ryuko's. Or his brother's."

"His brother?" The Prince's brows arched up, an elegant question.

_Ventrue. No doubt._ "Two brothers, two different bloods," Kou shrugged. Two different bloodlines, really - but if the Prince believed that meant two different Clans, all the better. "They fought like night and day sometimes, but they stuck together." He tucked the stud into his pocket; better to tend to his ear later. "Is Stevie Ray on the lookout for more Gangrels? 'Cause if he is - they're _kids_." Not to mention, mixing Gangrel blood with what they'd already inherited could be… problematic. Vicissitude and Protean _could_ work together, but it was tricky. You needed an instructor who'd messed with 'em both. A Gangrel would _notice_.

"I don't allow children to be Embraced," Luna said sternly. "You're probably wise not to mention them to the Clans as a whole. But I would tell your Primogen. In case your actions against the Brujah bring repercussions."

_Aha. Now we're getting to it._ Kou scratched his head, doing his best to look sheepish. "Ah, yeah. About that…."

"I don't allow ghouls in my city, either," Luna said dryly. "For much the same reason. Taking away another human's will, forever… it is _wrong_."

_And this is the city we encouraged our clans to come to_, Kou thought ruefully. Then again, that was the main reason _why_ the children of Dawn and Twilight were here: San Francisco was Camarilla to the bone. Any Sabbat would be rooted out within days.

What Sabbat would do if they caught one of the clans' children - Kou didn't like to think.

"You've inadvertently solved a problem for me," the Prince went on, eyes watchful. "A breach of the Masquerade has been destroyed, in an instance of justifiable defense of human lives, instead of clan warfare. Gangrel and Brujah won't be civil to each other for a while, but that's hardly a change." A deliberate pause. "As I said, I know what it's like to look after mortal kin. Banning you from the city would only work so long. So you may stay. Until your Primogen gives me his decision on whether or not you are trustworthy."

_Sweet Buddha, I pulled it off_. "Thanks," Kou said honestly.

The Prince was inscrutable. "Most Gangrels don't stand for having their loyalty questioned."

"Then most of your Gangrels never ran into a Sabbat pack," Kou snorted. "Those bastards can mess with you with Blood Bonds ways that'd make a Nosferatu lose his lunch. Ryuko told me, before they got him - _don't_ let them take you alive."

Not that an ordinary Sabbat Blood Bond could hold him. He was Old Clan, and their blood bowed to _no one_.

Except. Homurabi had been Shirogane's Childe, before he'd gone to the Sabbat for demon-tainted power. His blood had changed, twisted, but the bastard just _might_ be able to Bind him.

Blood Bound to Ryuko's murderer. _Hell_, no.

So he'd run, after Ryuko fell to Homurabi's fangs. Run and run while his heart was breaking, because there were five of Homurabi's Childer to one of him, and there was no way he could kill them all.

_Picked the wrong guy for a Childe, Shirogane. _

Though when his heart stopped hurting enough to be honest, he couldn't blame Shirogane for being blindsided. Who in the worlds was crazy enough to go to the _Sabbat_ for power?

_Ask Raven Glides Through Mist. They know all about idiots dealing with demons. _

For a moment, he wished he were back in that little Japanese Beast Court. It might be an uneasy alliance sometimes - especially now that the court's Regnant had decided gee, given _Homurabi_ was after them, Dawn and Twilight were more _liabilities_ than allies - but among hengeyokai, he felt _safe_.

Well, safer. Kinda. Sometimes.

The Prince weighed Kou in his gaze a moment more, then nodded. "You may go. Though you may want to speak to Cash before you seek shelter for the day. He's the eldest of Stevie Ray's recent Childer. I'm certain he has some advice."

_Translate "may" to "damn well better",_ Kou thought wryly, but gave the Prince a respectful nod. "Good idea, thanks." _Out the door, don't look back, just keep moving…._

"Still alive, huh?" An amused voice, about his own age. Well, _apparent_ age.

"Gah!" It was only half an act. Kou'd heard the street kid of a Gangrel coming, but still, after Julian's _pressure_ of a presence…. "He's a scary guy," Kou admitted. Scarier because of what he could do to the clans than to Kou personally, but _that_ was need-to-know. "So. Cash?"

"Yeah." The blond young Gangrel stuck out a hand. "You're Kou? Heard you mixed it up with a Brujah's pet."

Kou shook it, but gave the younger Kindred a serious look. "You might not want to call 'em that. Maybe Prince Julian forbids 'em, but there's places that don't - and half the time, the poor bastards who end up Bound didn't have a choice in the matter." His Clan was lucky that way. They could _shape_ the Bond. Their ghouls, their Childer, never had to suffer the lovesick obsession the Blood Bond forced on most people. Not if the creator didn't want them to.

_You want to love me? I can do that. You want to hate me forever? I can do that, too._

Shirogane and Ryuko had been careful, and skilled. The ghouls who'd become their Revenant clans' ancestors - _his_ ancestors - had been granted a Bond of affection, loyalty, and filial piety. Worked out just fine, even if Kou did say so himself.

Homurabi loved to Bind with fear. _Damn_ the bastard.

"I didn't know," Cash said now, eyes wide. "That's-"

"Living nightmare pretty much covers it," Kou said soberly. "At least for the ones with the will to fight it." He shook himself all over, like a cat stalking away from an unexpected fall. A habit he'd picked up from the Fu Shi-zi and other Bastet who sometimes guested with them, their clans, and the Beast Court allied with them both. Hakken habits might be better for passing with Gangrels, but the secret-loving cat shifters were a lot more comfortable around Kindred. And he liked cats. Besides, the move was still that little bit _beast_ that rubbed Gangrel the right way. "So! What's a street kid do for fun around here?"

-----

"Interesting."

Julian regarded Daedalus with curiosity as the Nosferatu Primogen faded out of the shadows. "Do you believe him? Sabbat have tried to insert agents into California before."

"Not this one," the ancient Kindred said plainly. "Not if Ryuko was Kou's Sire. He hated Sabbat, and all it stood for." Gruesome features creased in an unexpectedly warm smile. "Once he found out they existed, at least. I suspect his first reaction was, how could _anyone_ be that _stupid?_"

"Found out they existed?" Julian repeated, not certain he'd heard correctly. "How could anyone not know about the Sabbat?"

"By leaving Europe before they ever coalesced into one bloody movement," Daedalus said practically. "This is mostly legend and ancient history, even in my clan… long ago, Ryuko and Shirogane, and their mortal kin, battled a great evil that threatened the world. A demon, it's believed."

"A demon." Julian folded his arms, skeptical.

"They do exist. Ask Archon. Though fortunately for mortals and Kindred, they rarely break through into this world." Daedalus frowned, searching his memory. "They won, but at great cost. Their lands were blasted; cursed. Infertile, and worse, if legend is true. They took council with my Clan, and were told the demon's revenge could not be lifted, not for millennia to come. They could remain, and survive - but the mortals would lose their humanity, and become as demons themselves. Or they could pin their hopes on an augury, and flee beyond all lands that demon had ever touched." The Nosferatu's voice turned wry. "Apparently it had covered a great deal of ground. The next word we have of them is a record from some very startled Kindred visitors to Meiji Japan."

"I've never heard of that city."

Daedalus gave him a look of amused tolerance. "Meiji was the emperor who opened Japan to modernization in 1869. You were Archon's enforcer at the time, worrying about how you'd deal with Kindred coming off the new westbound trains."

Ah. That had been a while ago. But Julian pushed away recollections of the past, focusing on the dangers of the present. "If his Sire is as ancient as you imply, Kou is far more powerful than he has shown."

"Very likely," Daedalus agreed. "I doubt the Gangrels could have brought him here, if he hadn't allowed himself to be taken."

"So why hide it?" Julian said thoughtfully. "Why not challenge Stevie Ray? If he wants to protect Ryuko's descendants, the power of a Primogen-"

"Is always subject to challenge, by those who believe they've something to prove," Daedalus interrupted. "He's not Ventrue, Julian. Those of his blood are rarely interested in power over others. Gangrels are loyal to Final Death. If Kou has decided the best way to honor Ryuko's memory is to protect their Clan's children, no power any of us could bring to bear would induce him to take a seat in the Conclave."

"I hadn't thought of that," Julian admitted. "I'll have to warn Stevie Ray."

"I would not," Daedalus cautioned.

Julian gave the Nosferatu a dark look. "He's my bodyguard."

"And as subtle as a brick through a stained glass window," Daedalus pointed out. "Kou wants to be _hidden_, Julian. And he wants his charges hidden. What will happen, if you tell Stevie Ray what Kou really is?"

He'd head straight to find Kou's weak spot, Julian knew. Meaning the children. Meaning all of Gangrel would know where they were - and not long after that, every Kindred in the city. "Do you have an alternative?"

"Let me tell him that he is watched," Daedalus suggested. "And why." A slight, genteel shrug. "My Clan is known for keeping secrets."

So they were. "Can you find more information on Ryuko? Enough to determine the truth of his story?"

Daedalus inclined his head. "Allow me a few days, my Prince. I will find something."

-----

"So those are your Clan's children."

One hand easily braced on a rising girder for balance, Daedalus watched Kou almost plummet off the fifth story of the construction site. It was good to know he hadn't lost his touch.

"…Goddess of love and mercy," Kou finished swearing, finding his balance again. Barely glanced at the two teenagers walking home through twilight, so far below. "Just making sure they steer clear of Brujah. What do you want?"

"I know what you are," Daedalus said deliberately. "I wonder how you hid your native earth, when the Gangrels welcomed you to sleep in their haven."

"Native earth?" The younger Kindred grinned at him. "Now, that's an old Hollywood legend-"

"I am Daedalus."

Harmlessness dropped away like a mask, and Kou studied him with grim gray eyes. "Anyone could say that."

"Those who've seen him fight believe Shirogane favors a cane, but his enemies would say his chosen weapon is the sword. If he'd ever left any of them alive," Daedalus said dryly. "Ryuko, when pressed, used a scythe, that cut with more than mortal metal. And both of them upheld the purpose of your Clan; the duty most have forgotten, buried under the grisly insanity of the Fiends of the Sabbat. That once spirits of evil walked the earth - spirits that have never been human - and it was your duty to fight them. And it remains your duty, to this day."

"Nosferatu always have their ears to the ground." Kou didn't relax. "So. What do you want?"

"Only the truth." Daedalus kept his gaze level, with no pressure of his will behind it. "How did Ryuko die?"

Kou looked out into the deepening night, staring into painful memory. "We were in Hong Kong, trying to clear out a corrupted dragon's nest," he said at last. "Me, Ryuko, and Shirogane. Lots of Banes, plenty of bakemono, a few akuma… the whole hellish smear. Was going about like it always did, and then-" He spread an empty hand, as if watching the dust of hope blow away from it. "It was a trap. Homurabi and his brood got us."

That name, Daedalus knew; if from very thin rumors, indeed. A Kindred based in India, at least as old as Goth; also believed to be of the old blood. Put together with what Kou had spoken of the truth to Julian…. "One of Shirogane's Childer turned on him? For the _Sabbat?_"

"What can I say? Our sorcery looks all kinds of flashy, but it takes discipline to learn. And a knack Homurabi didn't have, not for centuries of trying. He wanted more. Wanted to bend the world, any way he could get it. An' nothing's surer to do _that_ than dealing with demons. He _likes_ the taint; likes being able to grab somebody and melt the meat right off their bones…." Kou shuddered. "I think Ryuko got clued in before any of us. There's gotta be _some_ reason Homurabi went straight for him, and sent his brood and _allies_ after us."

"So Shirogane is dead as well." It was a blow; one of many in Daedalus' long life, but a harsh one nonetheless. He'd never speak with the silver-haired ancient again. Never talk of history and magic, battles long past, why their two bloodlines claimed the names of _shin_ and _rei_….

"He went down fighting," Kou said grimly. "I got out. I had to."

"For the children's sake," Daedalus nodded, chilled to the bone. "If more of the Sabbat were to realize they had two fresh, _healthy_ Revenant families in their grasp… and Hong Kong is so very near to Japan."

Kou's eyes glittered at him, cat-gold.

"Your secret is safe in my keeping," Daedalus promised. "Julian wishes us to live within the laws of mortals, and avoid enslaving their minds and hearts. The letter of his law states that none of us shall create ghouls - but the spirit of it has not been violated."

Kou blinked, cat-gold fading back to human gray. "What's the price?"

"I would like to watch them with you," Daedalus confessed. "I have long been curious about your mortal kin. And how they deal with being… not quite mortal."

"Gets trickier every decade," Kou admitted. Pointed down the street where the two youths had stopped for hot dogs from a cart. "But if you're gonna follow 'em… well, watch." Voice no louder than a whisper, he murmured, _"Akira."_

Far below, a brown head jerked up, scanning the street for danger. And above it, as well.

"He doesn't know what he heard," Kou said, resting perfectly still in the shadows. "But he knows _something's_ out there." The younger Kindred smirked. "So if you want to watch the kids, you've got to be _real_ sneaky."

Point taken. And not one that usually had to be made, to his Clan. "The boy has Auspex."

"Looks that way," Kou nodded. "Gets him in trouble, sometimes. Teachers think he's daydreaming, when he's really checking out the place, looking out for the other kids. Lots of nasty things like schools."

Unfortunate, but true. "Yet the other boy does not."

"Don't underestimate Kengo. He's tough as a ton of nails." Kou watched them both fondly. "All the same blood, but each of 'em are born with different knacks. You just gotta watch and see what they do with what they got."

Well. This promised to be interesting, indeed….

-----

"It's been a week," Archon pointed out.

"A week is still a few days," Julian reminded his Sire, setting a book of mysteries back on his library shelf. Still, he didn't hide his worried frown. "He must have found something."

"Several things," Daedalus remarked blandly.

For a moment, Julian's heart tried to regain its mortal speed. _One of these days_, he told himself firmly, _he is_ not _going to sneak up on me._

At which point he might as well walk into a bonfire, for the end of the world would be at hand. "Kou's story?"

"Was not the entire truth," the Nosferatu reported. "But given several hundred lives depend on word not reaching his enemies, he had reason to lie. My sources can make inquiries that leave no trail back to San Francisco. Other Kindred are not so skilled."

"Several hundred?" Archon raised a brow in disbelief. "What did they do, uproot an entire village?"

"Several villages," Daedalus replied dryly, "and at least one neighborhood in Tokyo. No one with children was left to face Homurabi's wrath."

Which sounded like a breach of the Masquerade large enough to drive a truck through, Julian thought. But Daedalus didn't look upset. And he would be, if they needed to call a Blood Hunt. "Perhaps you could start from the beginning."

The Nosferatu inclined his head. "The Sabbat has gained great power in Hong Kong by allying with… unsavory creatures. Including Infernalists. How much power, I had not realized. Nor, apparently, had Shirogane and Ryuko when they and Kou went to destroy a place of evil. It was an ambush, led by Homurabi. He is Tzimisce."

_The Fiends of the Sabbat._ Behind him, Julian heard his Sire murmur a fervent prayer. Tzimisce. Kindred who made not the slightest pretense of clinging to humanity. Who could reshape flesh and bone like liquid clay, and whose atrocities would make a cannibal pale. Who covered it all, it was said, with a cloak of genteel manners and rare wit; gleeful Hannibal Lecters, to most Sabbat's Manson Family.

If Kou had _encouraged_ his Sire's family to flee, Julian couldn't blame the man. No matter how many minds he would have had to Dominate. "Why would Homurabi want them?"

"Outside of sadistic revenge?" Daedalus shook his head. "There are… ways of gaining power, that require mortal relations of a Kindred. You don't want to know the details. Kou knows enough to be afraid, and he is right to be." The Nosferatu looked serious. "The families know they're in danger. They have old legends of creatures that walk the night. They're being careful, and watchful. I would advise none of us take one as a Childe. Not for some years, at least."

"You look entirely too amused to be bringing us only problems, old friend," Archon observed.

"If the Sabbat ever reach this city in numbers great enough that one such as Homurabi would join the battle, we will all have _problems_," Daedalus stated. "But if the Camarilla remains strong, that should never happen. So Kou has brought us a great gift." He met Julian's gaze directly. "The families are intelligent, hard-working, and driven to succeed. They will be great assets to your city."

All true, Julian was sure. But there was more than that. "You like them."

"They're brave," Daedalus admitted. "And many of them are very beautiful. You may have to warn Toreador away from them more than once. Particularly given that many of them practice very old arts and crafts, some rarely seen even in Japan. The Nikaidou family, for example, crafts some of the loveliest inks and paints I've ever seen."

And his friend couldn't wait to try them out, Julian knew. "I look forward to seeing the results."

Daedalus nodded abstractly, evidently lost for a moment in a mental play of color and form. But only a moment. "Kou is actually relieved that you know," he said seriously. "He's been carrying this burden alone too long."

And it was a Prince's duty to ensure none of the Kindred in his city had burdens too great to bear. One way, or another.

_Though I will have questions for Kou, when next we meet. Starting with - how, exactly, did several_ hundred _Japanese immigrants arrive in San Francisco without my notice?_ "You say they have legends?" _Enough to threaten the Masquerade?_

"Oh, yes." Daedalus looked amused. "You should hear the story of the warehouse that eats people, and leaves only hair and clothes behind…."

-----

_We're being watched. Again. _

And not by mortal eyes.

A glance and a nod at Kengo, and Akira led the way through twilight crowds, dodging and weaving so their Kindred stalker would lose them in the sea of humanity. Vampiric senses were sharp, but not unbeatable. If _he_ were starting to get overwhelmed with light and sound and people's blazing auras, the Kindred would be swamped as well.

And it was a Kindred tracking them. He could _feel_ it, burning in his soul like cold fire.

_Just wish I knew_ how.

It wasn't Auspex. His mother had drummed that Discipline into him almost before he could walk. She hadn't had a choice; Nikaidou was known for that power, but some quirk in Akira's blood had left enhanced senses _always_ on. Useful if you were trying to pick out a jock's locker combination from forty feet away to leave him a booby-trapped surprise. Not so good if you were trapped in the corner of a high school auditorium during a pep rally, fingers jammed in your ears to keep them from bleeding at the noise.

No; it definitely wasn't Auspex. For one thing, it didn't flare up by itself. Unless the Kindred was almost on top of him, it just lurked there, quietly, under the surface of his skin. He had to concentrate, to _reach_, to seek that sense of cold flame. For another - it didn't match any description of Auspex in the clans' scrolls. At least, not the ones he'd seen.

_And I can't ask for the others._

A mortal with Akira's years would be gray and creaking, but by clan standards, he was still a kid. The elders weren't about to trust him with more arcane secrets. Not yet.

Even if they had been, something inside Akira shied from telling anyone about this odd power. It wasn't normal. Wasn't natural. And for a Revenant, that was saying something.

Kengo's hand tightened on his, drawing back the focus that had started to scatter in the crowds. "Akira?"

"Yeah." Akira took a breath, fighting the whirl of cigarette smoke, voices, and a myriad human scents, barely cut by the bay breeze. "We lost him." He eyed Kengo. "Keep an eye out, going home."

"You too, huh?" Kengo nodded seriously, and let go. Backed off a few steps, and deliberately adopted a teenager's careless slouch as he headed down the street.

_Focus. Center._ Senses tugged back under control, Akira disappeared back into the crowd himself.

Or tried to. He looked like a bored teenager, he walked like one, he'd _practiced_ it... yet people still faded out of his path without thinking. Especially if they met his eyes.

_Damn it. _

Yet another thing he couldn't ask the elders about. Buddha help him if they ever cornered him in a dark room. In the shadows, his eyes glowed red.

_Keep it hidden_, his mother had always warned him. _There's nothing wrong with you, Akira. They just - wouldn't understand._

He'd tried. But in the middle of that mess a few days ago, Kengo had finally noticed. Lucky for him, it _was_ Kengo. The cheerful Revenant teen probably wouldn't mind if he showed up with fangs, claws, and a truck full of fresh werewolf pelts.

_Let's hope not. I hate fighting. _

Even though he was good at it. _Especially_ because he was good at it. Every Revenant had a Beast; Akira knew that as well as any in the clans. But his Beast didn't just want to fight. If he got pushed hard enough for his temper to slip its chains….

_I don't just hurt people. I want them_ dead.

Meditating helped. Hell, _video games_ helped. Anything to calm the Beast, or turn it outward, without the crack of bones and scent of blood.

…And if he was dwelling on that, he'd _really_ had too much of people today.

_Time to stop pushing my luck. _

Akira ducked into an alley, snagged a fire escape with one lithe leap, and headed for the rooftops.

_Sometimes, it's just better to run._

Asphalt, tiles, concrete; he fled through the night, letting wind and muted street noise soothe jangled nerves. Away from casual eyes, he could finally _move_; blurring faster than human, jumping gaps no mortal would have dared.

_Better_, Akira thought at last, touching down on an apartment building across the street from home. _So. Let's see if _this_ can pass for normal, next time I've got to do a school physical. Breathing fast, sweating, racing heart…._

He checked his pulse, and his watch. Sixty-three beats in a minute. _Damn._

_'Kaasan's right. We're going to have to finesse it from now on. Clan doctors, or no doctors- _

"Thought you'd come this way."

Cold fire, blazing, where a moment before there'd been _nothing_. Not possible. Unless-

_He was across the Wall_.

Akira could have kicked himself. He _knew_ better than to get so close to home without checking for unfriendly spirits. Usually, they were the only warning you'd get that werewolves were on the prowl. Not to mention _other_ things.

_But I can feel him; he's got to be Kindred. And the only Clan that can walk in the Mirror Lands is-_

The brown-haired Kindred stepped out of the shadows; hands conspicuously empty, gray eyes full of wry humor behind clear lenses. "Hi there. Not sure if you remember me…."

"Should I?" Akira challenged, ready to run. Maybe he'd burned up a little blood dashing home, but he had more than enough to run again.

_Or fight_, his temper snarled.

_No. No fighting. Not if there's another way._

"Easy, Akira." The Kindred took one step more, earrings glinting in the lights from below. "I'm Kou. Kou Suzuno."

Akira tensed, opening his senses wide to sweep for an ambush. "Anyone could say that."

"Anyone wouldn't have dumped you and Kengo clear of that mess," Kou said frankly. "The local Prince doesn't know about Dawn and Twilight, and I'm hoping to keep it that way. Don't know if you guys slipped under the elders' radar, or if they're still shook up from the move, but you two need more training than you're getting." Kou eyed him. "Especially you."

"Me? I'm nothing special," Akira snorted. "You want to tell the elders they're wrong? Why don't you come in and ask my mother, first?"

"One, we both know she's out of town, doing a feng shui consult for some rich guy who might be allied to the local Sunset People. Two - what, you think I'm crazy? I _trained_ you people. No way am I walking into your territory without somebody who recognizes me there to vouch for me. I go through your front door, I'm gonna be a rei-ka-bob inside two minutes, flat."

Huh. The guy might be who he claimed, after all. "Why me?" Akira said pointedly.

Kou sighed, and scratched his head. "You remember what you did that night?"

Fragments. What he did remember scared him. Channeling the Frenzy. _Using_ it, to tear through foe after foe. Starting with- "Kengo was hurt."

"And you got the guy that did it," Kou said seriously. "Lucky for all of us, the local Gangrels messed with the scene enough, there's no way the cops got fingerprints off that body."

_Body_. The world seemed to gray; Akira swallowed dryly. That fragment was all too clear. Hands on warm flesh. Breaking bone. Copper-dark tang of Kindred-tainted mortal blood.

"Easy, little bro." Kou'd _moved_, in that moment of distraction; slinging an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close in a brotherly hug. "You did good. You're alive, Kengo's alive, and the local Kindred think the clans are just regular people. Not bad. Not bad at all."

_Don't fight. He's stronger than you. Pick your moment._ "So why tell me this?" Akira said warily.

"Because you're a Nikaidou," Kou said seriously. "One of these days, you'll be on the council. Like your grandparents were, before they stayed behind to cover our trail."

_By dying_. Akira didn't know that for sure, but from everything he'd read, the strongest spells might be powered that way. And it was the most likely explanation for their silence. Unless, of course, they'd just finally cut off contact with their willful, Americanized daughter and her disgraceful out-clan son. "You've got the wrong Nikaidou. I'll never be on the council."

"Why not?"

Akira glared at him. "Talk to my mom. What do you _want?_"

"To see you get a chance to grow up." Gray eyes lost that moment of seriousness, turning amused. "Anybody with _your_ moves, I want to see how far you can go-"

A twist, and Akira was free. "I don't want to fight!" A ragged breath. "I hate fighting."

"Yeah," Kou said quietly. "So did he."

_He?_

A blur, and Kou was a roof away. "Same time tomorrow, Aki!"

_"Aki?"_ Akira yelped in disbelief.

A toothy grin, and Kou was gone.

-----

_Six years later._

-----

"This is a bad time." Julian eyed the unrepentant elder Kindred in front of him. "Stevie Ray is missing."

"Which is why this is a good time," Kou shrugged. "Look. You know an' I know, I'm not cut out for running Gangrel. Cash has gotta do it. If I stick around - he's a friend. He'll lean on me when things get tough. And we both know, that's not what he _needs_."

"And what sort of friend abandons his own to chase revenge?" Julian said neutrally.

Kou's fingers clenched into fists. He took a deep, deliberate breath, and slowly let it out. "This isn't about revenge."

_Remarkable control_, Julian thought. _Almost as good as Archon's._

"This is about my people. And what'll happen to all of us, if Homurabi decides to crash California's party. I've got a lead. I've got to check it out." Kou met Julian's gaze, straight on. "I left a sample of my blood with Daedalus. When I get back, I'm coming straight to you and him so he can check that it's me. And that _I'm_ still me, an' not one of Homurabi's slaves. If I don't do that, or the test comes out wrong - kill me, Julian. Dragon's breath, straight through the heart. Don't hesitate. Don't _blink_. 'Cause if Homurabi gets to me - I'd rather be dead. I'd rather be _burned alive_."

"And you trust me to decide your fate," Julian said levelly.

"You're the Prince of San Francisco," Kou said bluntly. "You'll do what you gotta do."

_The Prince of San Francisco. Not_ your _prince_. Julian sighed. _Six years, and I barely know you_. "I wish I knew who you were protecting."

Kou raised a quizzical brow. "You know about my families-"

Julian gave him a pointed look. "I may be younger than you, but I think I know the difference between someone protecting an idea, and someone protecting a person. Someone they _love_."

"It's not… like that," Kou said at last.

_At least he didn't deny his age_, Julian thought wryly. The information Daedalus had acquired on Tokugawa-era vampires was slim, but enough to determine Kou was at least that old. "I want to help you, Kou. You may not consider me your Prince-" He glanced at the Gangrel sharply when Kou would have protested. "Don't bother denying it. The Prince of your heart is Ryuko. Mere death cannot change that." Julian smiled sadly. "But you are one of my people, Kou. Let me help."

Kou looked down, swallowing hard. "Just… keep Lillie away from 'em, okay? They're not artists. They're crafters. Big difference. _Huge_ difference."

A flicker of wind, and he was gone.

"Like trying to grasp mist," Julian murmured. "I was so close…." He glanced at the shadows of his library. "I don't suppose you have any insights?"

"Akira Nikaidou," Daedalus stated, fading back into visibility. "He trains Kengo Asano as well, but given the Asano family runs a sake brewery, I doubt Lillie would find their children intriguing."

The two boys Kou had rescued, years ago. Not unheard of among the Kindred, to find an interesting child and watch over them, until they were old enough for the Embrace. "And the Nikaidou family are artists."

"The Nikaidou create color," Daedalus corrected. "They're very adept at that. Even Akira. Yet the boy is wild. He's happier on the streets than in the classroom, and on the roofs than either. But he excels in our wild spaces. He's given some of my clan a few unpleasant surprises; no human eye may see them, true, but Akira can still _track_ them." The Nosferatu paused, deliberately. "And I have recently learned that Kou is having weapons made for the boy. Silver-alloy."

Julian tensed. "Kou's training him to be a Lupine Hunter?"

"The word in the East," Daedalus said gravely, "is _shih_. And, yes. Kou's families are legend-keepers, Julian. Occult scholars. I've made use of their sources myself, as have you. That knowledge marks them, and their heritage marks them further. You and Archon have held peace in this city for years, but it's only a matter of time before the Lupines try to take territory here again. And when they do, who are they most likely to target? And most likely to kill?"

Given werewolves seemed to believe any human who so much as worked with Kindred was irrevocably evil - the answer was obvious. "Trained or not, a human stands no chance against the madness brought by seeing the werewolves unleashed."

"There's reason to believe shih can," Daedalus said thoughtfully. Waved a long-nailed hand, dismissing the matter. "And if the boy were trained, and old enough, and willing…."

"Kou might ask to Embrace him," Julian finished. "I'll consider that."

"He might ask for more than that," Daedalus said carefully. "Do you recall that awful vampire movie that came out, not long ago? Where vampires are created by a virus, and the clans are plotting to take over the world?"

"Daywalker?" Julian ventured. If memory served, the main character had been tainted by his mother's transformation, and so developed characteristics very similar to a- "I will _not_ allow the creation of ghouls in my city!"

"Still," Daedalus pointed out, "it _is_ one tactic which always seems to take the shape-shifters off guard. They never expect to face Kindred powers in daylight."

"It's inhumane!"

"Perhaps," Daedalus allowed. Bowed, and turned to go. And paused, just before he might have disappeared. "It's strange, sometimes, how humans treat their own legends. Daywalker, indeed. I prefer the old name." The Nosferatu smiled wryly. "_Dhampir_."

Julian blinked. And chuckled. "That old story? I should go to the movies more often. I could use a good fantasy."

"Ah." Daedalus sounded wistful. "But what if it were true? To hold a child in your arms again; to gain back some of what we lost to our blood. That would, indeed, be a wondrous dream."

"Except the stories all say that _if_ it existed, it'd be trying to kill you when it grew up," Julian pointed out. "It's just a story, old friend. The poisoned apple. Rapunzel. Red Riding Hood and her woodsman. I don't think we'll be meeting any of them soon." He shook his head. "When Kou gets back, I need to have words with him, and Stevie Ray. No one's hunting Lupines without my explicit order."

"I'd welcome the chance to listen in on that." Fangs glinted in Daedalus' smile. "I'm making a collection of ancient Japanese epithets."

Laughing, Julian saw him to the door.

And retreated to his library again, despite his worry for Stevie Ray, and his growing conviction that Eddie Fiori was finally taking actions that would require him to interfere. He needed a few minutes. Just a little time, alone.

_August is so very, very old…. _

His grandson was a bright beacon of humanity; a man who'd lived life to the full, and never faltered. When he died - part of Julian would die with him.

_We all want to believe in fairy tales_, Julian thought. _A child that would share our powers, our heritage, yet still be a link to the world we left behind._

Well. So much for dreams. Julian sighed, and turned his attention back to reality. _Now, what should I do about Detective Kohanek?_

---End.

-----

Info:

Auspex - Kindred Discipline relating to enhanced senses and ESP.

Banes - malicious to evil spirits.

Bakemono - people and animals infested and warped by Banes.

Beast - the darker (inhuman) instincts inside a vampire, or anyone touched with vampiric blood.

Beast Court - a formal grouping of hengeyokai, protecting a dragon nest.

Blood Bond - drink the blood of a vampire three times, you're mystically bound to them and obsessed with them for life.

Brujah - Kindred clan known for bad tempers, unnatural strength, and a lot of Mob ties.

Camarilla - Kindred organized to uphold the Masquerade, and thus ill-disposed toward the Sabbat.

Discipline - a vampiric power.

Dominate - Discipline allowing charm up to mind control.

Dragon nest - a mystical point of power. AKA caern, node, chantry.

Frenzy - when someone yields to the Beast in either fear or anger, leading to instinctive (and often very, very lethal and messy) behavior. Ghouls, Revenants and Dhampir generally only Frenzy due to injury or anger.

Gangrel - Kindred clan known for shape-shifting, loyalty, and suspicions of odd ties to were-creatures.

Ghoul - human who's imbibed vampire blood, allowing minor use of Kindred powers.

Hengeyokai - Eastern were-creatures. Fu Shi-zi are a group of were-lions, Bastet are were-cats in general, and Hakken are Japanese werewolves.

Infernalist - someone who deals with demons for power. In the east, _akuma_.

Masquerade - the Camarilla's efforts to hide the existence of vampires, and other supernatural creatures if necessary, from humans.

Mirror Lands - A step "away" from reality, into the realm of spirits, human and otherwise. Often traveled by were-creatures.

Nosferatu - Kindred clan known for ugliness and information gathering.

Primogen - the oldest, and usually most powerful, members of each Kindred clan, who lead and are accountable for the other members of their clan.

Prince - the Kindred ruler of a city. Usually assisted by a council of Primogen.

Protean - the Discipline of shapeshifting, from claws to wolf or bat form.

Revenant - a "born" ghoul, the result of several generations of ghouled humans. Potentially much more powerful, and often much more trained, than a regular ghoul; also, may have much slower aging than a normal human. Usually only found in relation to Tzimisce vampires.

Sabbat - Kindred who don't give a damn about the Masquerade, or humans in general, and hate the Camarilla with a passion.

Toreador - Kindred clan known for artistic tendencies and obsessions.

Tzimisce - the "Fiends of the Sabbat"; a vampire clan known for Vicissitude and various other nasty habits. While members of most vampire clans may be found in the Camarilla or the Sabbat, Tzimisce have never been Camarilla. However, Old Clan Tzimisce are a lot more sane… and almost extinct.

Ventrue - Kindred clan known for power and ability to charm or Dominate almost everyone.

Vicissitude - a Discipline that allows reshaping flesh and bone in ways that may be useful to fatal.


End file.
